“Rock ‘n’ Roll Isn’t Comfortable”: Discussing Music’s Changing Landscape, their New Podcast and How to be a ‘Rockstar who’s not on Stage’ with Gold Hand Girls
I sat down trying to write a heartfelt-yet-hypey opening paragraph for this piece for about forty-five minutes, wondering how I could condense the best music interview I’ve ever had into a few witty sentences. But I’ve decided that Alexa and Micayla really speak for themselves. Proving that hard work and guts get you into more doors than you can imagine, they’re shaking up the music industry’s boys club and building Gold Hand Girls, an inclusive multimedia music platform connecting womxn across the industry and dedicated to bringing people up along the way. Oh, and they’ve got a sick new podcast, “Women and Music”, which you should really check out. Trust me, Gold Hand has something to say, and we should all be listening.
UNPUBLISHED: Hi Alexa and Micayla! It’s so lovely to meet you two. To start, I wondered if you could each tell me a little bit about yourselves, what the mission of Gold Hand Girls is, and what you do?
ALEXA ACE: Gold Hand Girls started as a passion project and as a college-based zine in some ways. I was working in London at the time and was wondering “What the fuck is going on with the music industry? Where are the women?” Very quickly we realized there’s a problem here. There are women who are passionate about joining the music industry, and there aren’t enough of them, or if there are, where the fuck are they? Gold Hand blossomed from the lack of women in the music industry, and finding a way to connect all of us, but even more so to provide opportunity for these women so someone who’s an intern can google ‘Women in music’ and come up with a list of people, not just Ariana Grande.
MICAYLA CHANDLER: Alexa and I met funnily enough at a concert backstage and ended up interning together at that concert venue. We would just have these in-depth conversations about music. Asking why there weren’t enough women. We’d just talk strategy and talk shop, which turned into “Let’s do something. Let’s get involved.” That was over a year ago and we haven’t looked back since. I was in college and I wanted to do music. I was studying PR and I was like “How the heck do you make a career in music?” I had no clue. But I knew that that was what I wanted to do. You find these outlets, like Unpublished or Gold Hand, where you can pursue that option, and that’s really cool.
AA: Yeah, and underground publications are amazing because they really let you share your voice.
MC: There are all kinds of women (and men) who really want to share their story and share their voice and the podcast is the perfect platform to do that. We are very raw and we speak about whatever we want. It’s very transparent on the podcast (laughs).
UNPUBLISHED: How did you two decide that the “Women and Music” podcast was a good format to transition into from the written/editorial-based content on Gold Hand’s website, and what has that transition been like?
AA: The podcast was a way to be heard. If I’m being honest, we both wanted to make this our full time career and we are two women who didn’t necessarily know how to monetize a passion to pay all their bills. We’re there now, and we’re very fortunate that we took that leap. We had this idea based on us asking “How can women all really relate [to each other] and how can we monetize a platform not only for us, but in order to build a bigger platform that allows us to create opportunities for others?” We did some research and found out that podcasting is a really great medium for up-and-coming companies. It’s also an industry that’s growing in itself, which appealed to us. We asked “How can we build a team and still be passionate about what we’re building?”
UNPUBLISHED: What’s it like coming up with ideas and recording/editing a podcast together? What is the process like of coming up with each episode and have you learned anything new about yourselves or each other in the process of creating “Women and Music”?
MC: I have learned to be a very good collaborator. Alexa and I always joke, but I feel like we can read each other’s minds. ‘Get out of my mind’ has now become an inside joke (laughs). But I can now expect what she needs and I feel like we’re always working two steps ahead of each other, but for each other, if that makes sense. We’re such good friends but we’re also business partners and we make sure that we have that line. We’re in constant communication. I always know what she’s working on, when, where her expectations are, and I know where to fill in the gaps. Just being organized and over-communicating. I know that’s a bleh answer, but it’s really what we operate on.
AA: We’re also both Geminis so we like to communicate over here. Maybe a little too much (laughs). Also, when we’re trying to find artists or people to bring onto the podcast, we kind of look at the women or musicians who are already in our lives. We live in Oklahoma which is honestly not a great music hub (except for The Flaming Lips), but it is what it is. We try to utilize first and foremost the people we look up to to bring on the podcast. I don’t know if that’s helpful, but I think it’s important to note that we have some really fucking awesome people around us and they have awesome people around them, and if you keep going down that rabbit hole, you can get pretty far.
UNPUBLISHED: Do you have any favorite artists/guests you’ve interviewed or a favorite upcoming podcast episode?
MC: We’ve got some crazy guests coming on. I still have to pinch myself sometimes. But in true Gold Hand fashion, we never give away too much. But, if you pay close enough attention to what we post to Instagram and share to our stories, you might catch some hidden easter eggs. Just maybe (laughs). We’ve got some big jaw droppers.
AA: We had Sizzy Rocket as our first artist on the podcast and that was a big pinch me moment for us, because last year Micayla was like “Holy fuck have you heard of this girl Sizzy Rocket?” She has this song called ‘Tulsa’ which is in the state of Oklahoma, and we were like “No way, we gotta know more.” We’re also big not only on communication, but manifesting. Asking “What do you want and how can you get there?” and then we just go. That’s what we’ve done with some of the artists coming up. We were just like “Who are some of your dream guests” and we reached out. Something I will say when reaching out to artists or anyone on a professional scale; watch your emails. Watch your fucking emails (laughs). I feel like we’ve pitched so many artists and have had a lot of people pitch us and I think that’s a really solid way to solidify a relationship with an artist’s team or the artist.
UNPUBLISHED: You two are young, successful women in the music industry. I know that’s such a cliche, but it feels almost impossible for young womxn or non-binary folks trying to break into music right now, especially on the business/publicity rather than creative side of things. Do you have any advice for someone, maybe like me who’s in college, or even younger, who’s putting in the work and knows that this is what they want to do but doesn’t necessarily have an ‘in’ within the industry?
MC: Just fucking do it. There are no restrictions. Do not put yourself in a box. I remember going to college and being surrounded by people who wanted to be engineers or mathematicians, and I was like “I want to be a rockstar who’s not on stage.How do I make that happen?” One thing Alexa and I both agree on is that there’s so much knowledge in knowledge. You can learn so much from reading and watching. This is kind of my hidden secret, but watch a ton of documentaries and when those credits roll, message those people [who have careers you’re interested in] on Linkedin. For example, “I just saw this documentary and I saw that you were the stylist. That’s so cool. How’d you do it?” What I have found is that people in the industry want to help other people come up. We want to see more change. We want to see more inclusivity. We want to see a difference. They are willing to help, you just have to be willing to make the effort too.
AA: For me, it’s reaching out through email. I’m a big email person. That’s how I got a majority of the opportunities I have. From nothing. From ground zero. I was in school for music, but there was a point where I wasn’t going to ask my professors for contacts; I’d go find them myself. One of my favorite quotes is ‘you never know until you ask.’ Why don’t you ask the scariest question of all time? If you’re denied, don’t worry, it’s just going to happen sometimes. It’s just about knowing what you want and not waiting for what you’re given or waiting for someone to hand it to you because fuck that. You can’t do that.
UNPUBLISHED: Along those lines, how do you hope the podcast will break down those access barriers within the industry and do you have any specific goals or takeaways you hope people gain from listening to the “Women and Music” podcast?
MC: Ultimately to be inspired. Listen with an open heart. There’s a message for everyone in every single episode, just like music.
AA: I remember being nineteen (I’m twenty-five now) and suddenly seeing these ideas or opportunities present themselves to me because I sought them out. It’s inspiration. That’s exactly what it is. I want [listeners] to connect to this as if it were light. As if they were magnetized by light. Just like when you’re in a venue and you’re singing the same song next to someone else and you don’t even know the person. We want the person on the other end of this to feel a sense of light and inspiration in their minds and hearts and future, because they can do it too.
MC: I will say too that creating this podcast has been a baby. This has been brewing. Nine months plus in the making of just getting it set up. It’s something Alexa and I have found we would have wanted when we were going through a career crisis. When we were asking what we wanted to do with our lives. We were both born in Rock ‘n’ Roll. We love music; we grew up on music. It is in our DNA and we both felt it was a calling to be involved with in some way, shape, or form, and this podcast was just what was missing. Presenting what a career path in music can look like and people who have succeeded in doing it. People who have left everything they know, moved out of their hometowns, and just decided to go for it.
AA: Yeah, Rock ‘n’ Roll is not comfortable. Also, we’re talking so openly on the podcast about things that aren’t typically discussed. Things like anxiety and depression and sexuality. We are so fucking inclusive. We want anyone on the podcast to just be themselves.
UNPUBLISHED: What are your favorite parts of each of your jobs? Do you have something you love doing more than anything else?
MC: Ace is the creative mind behind everything.
AA: Yeah, any visual representation you can attach music to or maybe throw in some ‘70s vibe in there. I don’t know. But creating’s definitely the thing. I will also say, although I know it’s not the thing right now, being in the photo pit is a big one for me. I miss it. Even last night I got a little emotional. I miss the feeling of it. As a music photographer, you go into the pit, and typically you’re escorted or someone walks you in or shines a light and just for a moment, you’re right there. The lights go down and you know what’s gonna happen next and you’re closer than anyone else. I’m getting chills. It’s one of the most inspiring and humbling and ‘I did it’ moments.
MC: My favorite part is probably just connecting with people. It’s just mind blowing to me. Sometimes I feel so sheltered living in Oklahoma and I’m ready to pack my bags and move halfway around the world. But there are people in another country that dig what we’re doing and support it and want to be involved and to me that’s so fucking crazy. This was just an idea we had at a plastic folding table to monetize Gold Hand and we’ve taken Gold Hand and have given her the movie montage makeover (laughs).
UNPUBLISHED: Do either of you have a biggest “pinch me” moment from your careers yet? Did you ever have a moment where you were like I can’t believe I’m here right now/this is insane/what is going on?
MC: Ace’s is my pinch me moment too. It’s so fucking crazy so I’ll hand it over to you (laughs).
AA: Basically, as part of Gold Hand, one of the biggest opportunities we had was that I was able to sit face-to-face with Lady Gaga. It brings me chills everytime I talk about it. Gold Hand was gonna give up that year. I had too much going on with trying to graduate college, have a career, pay my bills, that kinda thing, and the email came in with a subject that read ‘meet and greet opportunity.’ When you’re in the music industry you get those kinds of emails a lot, but this was a sponsorship from Verizon and they sponsored us so I could go experience Lady Gaga’s “Joanne” world tour and I got to talk to her about being female in the music industry.
To have Lady Gaga look you in the face and tell you you’re not allowed to give up, it’s some real shit I’ll tell you what (laughs). There’s no going back from that. I was a little rebellious too because there were ten other people there and we were only really allowed to ask her questions about her tour and they wanted me to relate that back to women in some way. I was like there’s not a way I can really do this so I’m just gonna go ask my question when it’s my turn even if I get in trouble. But basically I just said, “I want to be like these big men we see in the industry, like Clive Davis, Arthur Fogel, Jimmy Iovine,” and asked whether she had any advice for a woman who has to fight her way to get there. Basically she just said fight. You have to fight for what you want. It was from such a genuine place of inspiration, especially because I was about to give up Gold Hand altogether. That was definitely a pinch me moment.
UNPUBLISHED: Gold Hand Girls makes a point of empowering womxn, non-binary artists, and other under-represented groups within music. It’s almost comical the lack of representation and visibility still within the industry for people who do not come from a place of privilege. What do you hope changes to make the music industry more equitable in the future?
MC: People are tired of seeing the same thing over and over again. It’s refreshing to see something new, but real. There’s no fake-ness or fluff. There’s so much intention and meaning behind it that it means so much more. From artists to publications to classes being offered in schools and everything in between, you’re seeing that change and that’s amazing. I’m so here for it.
AA: I think that what we really want to do to bring that unsurfaced recognition to women is to fucking provide opportunity. To put women in positions of power and to really lift them up, from nothing. It does not matter where you come from, your background, your race, where you went to school, even if you fucking went to school. If you have a dream we want to help you get there, especially if it’s in music. When we’re at shows it’s talking to tour managers and teams so we can further our own connections to create more opportunities as well.
UNPUBLISHED: I know this is such a gross and cringy question, but what do you each want to have accomplished in the next ten, fifteen, or even twenty years?
MC: How much time do you have because we have a list (laughs). We are two of the biggest dreamers. We don’t think small at all. Like Alexa said, we’re big manifesters. We speak about everything as if it’s already happening. We hold ourselves accountable. We talk like we’re already in the room and at the table and we act like that too. If you can think it we’re trying for it. We’re going for it, baby.
AA: I think most artists should do that in the industry too. All it is is composure. Doing exactly what you’re doing. Putting on your lipstick and not letting anyone tell you what you can’t do. On my end, in ten years, it will look like a couple venues. I want a couple venues, and I want to house and staff them with women. Also, having more ‘Women and Music’ podcast episodes and branching off of that as well. Anything we can do to prove that music isn’t this slimy, ‘70s industry that it was back then. It is so much more now and the youth is watching. We’ve got to do our best to be inspirations. Also, a big thing for me is avoiding misogyny, not just in the industry, but in lyricism. So we do try to bring people on who don’t really do that. But also making sure we’re respecting differences. We are from Oklahoma, let me tell you what (laughs).
MC: Yeah, It’s a ‘y’all’ state. It’s a ‘yeehaw’ state (laughs).
AA: Also, getting Gaga on the podcast. That’ll be ten years (laughs).
UNPUBLISHED: If you had to describe your music taste in a few words, what would you say?
MC: Ooh, I love these questions (laughs). Mine honestly depends on my mood. I can go from Rock ‘n’ Roll/grunge to girly pop to country. It depends on my mood.
AA: I was just listening to Pantera, which is really heavy shit. It goes from really heavy, to classic Rock ‘n’ Roll, to the occasional Beethoven, to the Lady Gaga archives, and then some. Music taste depends on the day. There’s no way I can describe my music taste other than gritty, shiny, and all over the place.
UNPUBLISHED: Lastly, do you have any favorite albums or songs from the last year and do you have any music artists we should be listening to right now?
[MC:] Ace is gonna say “Chromatica” [Lady Gaga’s new album released this past April].
AA: But also Sam Fender. Sam Fender is so good and I swear by his album.
MC: Also, Alexa can’t stand that I love her, but Ashnikko. It’s like vulgar pop/rap, kind of like a Billie Eilish but she wants to get in your face and talk about it (laughs).
AA: Also Lana. Always. “Norman Fucking Rockwell!” is an album I turn on at least once a week. Also Sizzy Rocket. We had to have her on because of how much we fucking believe in her music.